Creep and long-term properties of alkali-activated Swedish-slag concrete

The construction of the future is moving in the direction of environmentally friendly materials and the use of various types of industrial byproducts and wastes. The use of blast furnace slag (BFS) for the production of concrete is one of those alternatives. In this study, pastes and concretes based on high-MgO BFS were alkali activated with 10% by weight sodium carbonate, sodium silicate, and a combination of both. Heat treatment and laboratory curing were applied. The results showed that heat treatment was effective at reducing the drying shrinkage of alkali-activated slag concretes and promoting high early strength. However, the sodium carbonate–activated slag concrete specimens showed a reduction in compressive strength at later ages. All concrete specimens tested exhibited high drying shrinkage; the highest values were for sodium silicate–activated concretes and the lowest were for sodium carbonate–activated concretes. All concretes tested showed very large creep, which was partly related to the small maximum aggregate size (8 mm) and the effects of carbonation. The carbonation depth after 12–24  months was significantly smaller for the heat-treated specimens and for concrete activated with sodium silicate. The carbonation process resulted in a more porous binder matrix, leading to long-term strength loss and increased creep, especially for sodium silicate–activated mixes

Enhancement of the pozzolanic activity of natural clays by mechanochemical activation

Replacement of cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) is a proven method to reduce clinker in cement and contribute to decreased CO2 emissions. Natural clays are commonly occurring materials that do not possess pozzolanic activity in their original state. Mechanochemical activation (MCA) can be an alternative and sustainable method to enhance their reactivity. In this study, the pozzolanic reactivity of three natural clays, originating from Sweden, was analyzed after the application of MCA in a planetary ball mill. Strength activity index (SAI), Frattini test, and conductivity test were used to evaluate the pozzolanic reactivity. All processed clays by MCA have achieved a SAI greater than 100%, while the Frattini test indicated an improved pozzolanic activity of samples containing a higher amount of clay minerals. The obtained results show that MCA could improve the pozzolanic reactivity, but the effect depends on the mineralogical composition and particle size of the clays

The (√7 × √7)R19.1°-C6H6 adsorption structure on Co{0001}: a combined tensor LEED and DFT study

The geometric structure of a Co(0001)-(root7 x root7)R19.1degrees-C6H6 surface formed by adsorption of benzene to the saturation coverage at 170 K has been determined by low energy electron diffraction (LEED). The favored model consists of a flat laying, nearly undisturbed benzene molecule, with the hydrogen-carbon bonds bent away from the substrate by 0.3 +/- 0.2 Angstrom. The carbon ring lies at a hcp-site with the two parallel C-C bonds aligned with [1100] direction. Buckling between the inequivalent carbon atoms in the molecular ring is within the experimental uncertainty (0.01 +/- 0.11 Angstrom). The experimental results are supported by density functional calculations